Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Snowkr]

I knew quite a number of teachers working there in 2005-06. They were mostly very happy. There didn't seem to be a lot of turnover back then. Not sure what it's like now though.

Wonju is a great place in my opinion. But Yonsei's campus is a bit of a trek and I think most foreign teachers there have or should have their own cars.

[Canuckophile]

I think it was OK in 2005-06 but soon after that it started tanking

If she's still there, Korean dept chair Dr Park is a nutcase. She doesn't like working, so she appoints foreigners (often the wrong foreigners) to run the whole show. (Some have been sued by teachers for wrongful termination.)

There will always be lots of jobs there - I think about 20 foreign teachers in the dept - and sometimes up to 15 have quit (not renewed contracts), not been renewed by the uni, or fired.

Students are good, but working hours can be bad - start at 7 am and go to 8:30 pm. You could get a 7 am to 5 pm schedule, with huge chunks of empty hours. Mostly teaching is pretty boring = not much flexibility in what you can do in the classroom. Focus is TOEIC

Your schedule will be based on how much they like you - heaps of favoritism

So look before you leap - there will be LOTS of jobs ALWAYS at this school unless it has turned itself around 180 degrees.

[Bruce W Sims]

[TECO]

[naturegirl321]

[Canuckophile]

I noticed an earlier post mentioned CubanLord. If that's who I think it is, he was one of the problems, but I'm pretty sure he's gone now. Dr Park appointed him to manage the other teachers, and he took it to mean that he was Master of the Universe

I think there's been a huge turnover in recent years so it's hard to say what it's like now

Religion never came up (Oh, there was that time Dr Park told a staff meeting that all Koreans go to heaven while westerners go to That Other Place. But that's the only reference to religion that I remember.)

Watch your contract - they slap you with summer/winter camps and you will want to know what your schedule actually is before you sign. I think the contract is deliberately fuzzy about these things- also the 7 am classes and the evening classes that you may be required to teach

[Bruce W Sims]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxku6c1ZONM&feature=related

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Snowkr]

"I think it was OK in 2005-06 but soon after that it started tanking"

Hmm... sorry to hear that. But I guess I can't say I'm too surprised. This seems to be the trend in Korea. It's unfortunate because back in 05-06, this seemed to be the most sought after position in the Wonju area.

Oh well.

[PRagic]

I turned down a tenure track offer from them (Economics). The teaching load was double other universities and the pay wasn't competitive.

Also, after asking around, I found out that just because the 'Yonsei' name is there doesn't mean you're operating on equal footing with the main Seoul campus. Working in Wonju isn't a vehicle to working on the Seoul campus.

Lastly, the location was a big turn off.

Don't know about the TESOL positions, just throwing in my 2 cents.

[Daryl69]

Some interesting comments about Yonsei Wonju, some quite inaccurate. No Yonsei is not EFL heaven, but I am in my 3rd contract there and love it. I have been treated well, promoted, been lucky to teach great students, and given great opportunities. I really like Wonju too! Korean management leaves a lot to be desired anywhere, sometimes due to cultural differences, other times due to personality quirks. Yonsei Wonju is no exception, but nor is it anything like as bad as claimed by some of the posters.

Yes there were law suits, a few years back which were related to staff unhappy at not being re-signed, as is the right of ANY employer in Korea offering 12 month contracts. As a result Yonsei won.

Negative comments about Dr. Park and "Cubanlord" are very subjective and attack people who probably don't look at this site and are not able to defend themselves, although being "named". I don't know about what others think, but that is not cool at all! I was told the same thing early on too, warned of their "evils" and I enjoyed working with both of them (the latter having left Korea).

There was a typo in the job advert, which was noticed and corrected. Sh*t happens, life goes on.

Instructors are slowly being phased out in favour of NTP's with Masters in TESOL/TEFL, Applied Linguistics, or English. As an Instructor myself, it is sad and right now Instructors and NTP's are doing the same work and getting paid very differently, which is not ideal at all. Still a 12-month contract is no guarantee of renewal and life in Korea is often a series of extreme changes without any apparent logic at times.

[Canuckophile]

This was some years ago, but Yonsei actually phased out the NTPs when I was there in favor of ALL instructors

So they've come full circle

Glad to hear that last poster has had a good gig at Yonsei - meant no harm with my comments ... I was there at a time of turmoil and lotsa firings and resignations. And no, it was not all the teachers. It was largely a management problem and could have been avoided.

[Daryl69]

Canuckophile, you are correct that Yonsei Wonju have come full circle. NTP's were phased out in favour of Instructors, hence many very good and experienced teachers left. There were around 4-6 of the old NTP's left when I started. Now there is a better deal on the table for the new NTP's. I fully expect things to chance again a few years down the track, as the upper hierachy (well above Dr. Park) don't really like English, or spending more money on it even though the NTP's were their idea.

Yonsei University Wonju is a great place to work, sadly most posters on Dave's ESL Cafe like to post negative comments, while few people happy with their jobs post positive comments. So I feel I need to provide some balance here.